Chapter 8 Vocabulary

The process of letting organic wastes decompose in the presence of air

Packed down; packing and pressing out air spaces present in the soil; reduces soil aeration and infiltration and thus diminishes the capacity of the soil to support plants

The practice of growing crops in strips alternating with grass (hay) at right angles to prevailing winds or slopes on order to reduce erosion

The formation and expansion of degraded areas of soil and vegetation cover in arid, semiarid, and seasonally dry areas, caused by climatic variations and human activities

The process of soil particles being carried away by wind or water; moves the smaller particles first and hence degrades the soil to a coarser, sandier, stomper texture

The layers in soil (I think)

A darn brown or black, soft, spongy residue of organic matter that remains after the bulk of dead leaves, wood, or other organic matter has decomposed; humus does oxidize, but relatively slowly; it is extremely valuable in enhancing the physical and chemicals properties of soil

Fertilizer, also called chemical fertilizer, that is a mixture of one or more necessary nutrients in inorganic chemical form

Any method of artificially adding water to crops

The process in which materials in or on the soil gradually dissolve and are carried by water seeping through the soil; may eventually remove valuable nutrients from the soil, or it may carry buried wastes into groundwater, thereby contaminating it

A soil texture consisting of a mixture of about 40% sand, 40% silt! and 20% clay; usually good soil

The farming practice in which weeds are killed with chemicals (or other means) and seeds are planted and grown without resorting to plowing or cultivation; the practice is highly effective in reducing soil erosion

Fertilizer that is natural organic material, such as manure, that releases nutrients as it breaks down

The practice of repeated cultivation and growing of crops more rapidly than the soil can regenerate, leading to a decline in soil quality and productivity

The phenomenon of animals grazing in greater numbers than the land can support in the long term

The process whereby soil becomes saltier and saltier until, finally the slat prevents the growth of plants; caused by irrigation. Because salts brought in with the water remain in the soil as the water evaporates

Rows of trees around cultivated fields for the purpose of reducing win erosion

Taxonomically arranged major groupings of soil that define the properties of the soils of different regions

The process of gradual oxidation of the organic matter (humus) present in soil that leaves just the gritty mineral component of the soil

A description of the different naturally formed layers, called horizons, within a soil

The loss of water vapor from plants; water evaporates from cells within the leaves and exits through the stomata

The relative size of the mineral particles that make up the soil; generally defined in terms of the soil’s sand, silt, and clay content

Earthworm excrements